“The best way to have a great idea…”
…is to have a lot of ideas.”
Those are the words of the Nobel Prize winning scientist Linus Pauling. With insight like that, he could have been a screenwriting ‘guru’ because the best way to come up with a great story concept is to come up with a lot of story concepts.
I can not emphasize enough the importance of the story concept you choose to write as a script.
You can nail your script structure…
You can nail your characters…
You can nail the dialogue, tone, pace, feel, themes, everything about that story…
But if you are working with a marginal story concept, that script almost assuredly won’t sell.
At Screenwriting Master Class, we offer a 2-week online course (Core II: Concept) that goes at the heart of this issue. In it, you will delve into the mindset of filmmakers, Hollywood studio executives, producers, agents, and managers, and learn time-tested ways to generate and develop story concepts, as well as the means to evaluate them to help you know when you find a viable script idea.
* Develop the ability to think like an industry executive or filmmaker and see what they look for in a story concept.
* Workshop your own story concepts through writing assignments targeted toward engendering your brainstorming and critical analysis skills.
And yes, we even talk about the Holy Grail of subjects: High Concept.
Tom Benedek will be teaching this session of the class and he knows a thing or two (or a zillion) about screenwriting because he has written over 40 Hollywood projects including Cocoon and Free Willy, working with top filmmakers including Robert Zemeckis, Lawerence Kasdan, Lili Fini Zanuck and Richard Zanuck, David Brown, Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, Sydney Pollack, Richard Rush, Harold Ramis, Lauren Schuler Donner and Richard Donner, Ray Stark, Brian Grazer, and many others.
The course begins Monday, October 3rd. Given how important story concepts are in the Hollywood movie business, this may be the single smartest investment you make.
To find out more, go here.